Hello Spent Glory Fans, this time we’re back with another of our Love Letters written by the Warhammer Underworlds community. The Love Letter Series was kicked off by this post encouraging people to play the warbands they love and tell others about the experience, inviting readers to contribute their passion to this website.
This time we’re visited by New Zealand’s finest, Pughie, who has been running buckwild in the Spitewood with a blitz aggro version of Kurnoth’s Heralds using Blazing Assault/Raging Slayers. When I heard of this wild deck, I simply had to know more, and now you get to as well. Let’s sit back and listen to the thundering of hooves and learn about this crazy combo.
Who are you, and where are you from?
Hi, I’m Ricky, though most people know me as Pughie on Vassal. I’m currently living in New Zealand, but I’m originally from the UK — so yes, I complain about the weather in both hemispheres.
How did you get into Underworlds?
My local LGS runs monthly Underworlds Swiss events, and one of the staff picked up on my interest and gently (but persistently) dragged me into the game. From there, the rest is history. I’ve always played board games and TCGs, but this was my first proper step into Warhammer and wargaming — and apparently, I fell in headfirst and didn’t look back.
Do you have a local group you play with, and do they have an online presence?
Unfortunately, the Warhammer Underworlds scene in NZ is small — we don’t even have a Nationals event (which I would love to help change).
That said, there’s a tight-knit group connected through our LGS. We now meet weekly, have just started our own league, and every quarter we run a tournament that pulls in around 10–12 players. Weekly nights are usually 4–6 of us, all passionate about the game, helping each other improve… and taking the mick out of each other whenever possible.
What’s the warband/deck pairing you love, and how did you two sweethearts meet?
The Kurnoth Heralds have become my true love — though it was definitely not love at first sight. I liked the models, but when Spitewood was announced, I was convinced the meta was going to be all about Blood of the Bull. So convinced, in fact, that the Heralds stayed on sprue, unloved and judging me silently from the shelf. Then the World Championships happened… and specifically G finishing 7th with Heralds. That blew my mind. I was shocked they were even there, let alone two of them.
I copied G’s deck, built the models, and immediately went out and played them very badly. Spectacularly badly. So badly, in fact, that Wallock on Vassal took pity on me and recommended BARS, along with a list. I’ve since tweaked that list to suit my playstyle, and the results have been sensational — high push tech, strong healing, and frightening accuracy.
What makes the deck so fun to play?
Hyper aggression.
This isn’t normally my playstyle, but this combo is all about killing as much and as fast as possible, because you basically have no defence. The longer the game goes on, the more fighters you’re likely to lose — so subtlety is optional. There’s nothing quite like wandering around the board one-shotting 4-health fighters. It’s fun for you… and if you’d like to keep friends, maybe don’t play it every week.
Turn one, my dream is to reach a 2-health fighter and delete them straight out of the gate (dice permitting — praise be). With accuracy boosts and the RS re-roll, the opening attack can be absolutely savage. If you get the first activation of the game, there’s a real chance your opponent starts turn one already down a fighter.
How have you found success (and fun) with the deck?
I’ve played 15 games, winning 10 and losing 5 — three of those losses were to Exiled Dead, which says a lot on its own. That’s a 66.6% win rate, which feels appropriately chaotic. What really surprised me was how often I score Annihilation. In my 10 wins, I’ve cleared the opponent 60% of the time. In the two games where I didn’t score it, it was only because the card got drawn early and discarded — I still tabled my opponent anyway.
What advice would you give to players wanting to try this warband?
DOOOOO IT.
It’s a ridiculously fun combo and quite friendly for newer players. The war scroll is straightforward, and while inspiration can be tricky, the accuracy makes it manageable. That said — protect Cullon or Ylarin at all costs. If your opponent focuses both of them down, you’re suddenly left swinging around with a 1-damage fighter, and that’s… significantly less scary.
What matchups or strategies do you find most challenging?
Exiled Dead is rough, and Mollog can also be a problem. You can’t be flanked at home, but you can be surrounded — and that’s exactly what both of those warbands want to do. The push tech in the deck becomes crucial here. Against Exiled Dead especially, it’s often better to use pushes defensively, disengaging and repositioning rather than chasing the fourth attack. Hit-and-run is the name of the game.
Anything else you’d like to tell the community?
I was listening to Underworlds Underground Podcast, and they mentioned the Heralds’ win rate might deserve a tiny adjustment.
Shhhhhhh. Let’s keep this one under the radar. Heralds are currently sitting at around a 60% win rate across recorded deck combinations in the stats project — which is very impressive. Nothing to see here, move along
Wrap
While there are a few more Love Letters in the works, there is always room for more. I’d love to hear your thoughts about an older or lesser or weird warband/pairing, what drove you to fall in love with it, and how you’ve piloted it to success – and especially piloting it to fun. If you have a warband you’d love to wax poetic about and serenade the wider community, let me know! I’m always accepting new submissions at SpentGlory@gmail.com – Until next time, grab your favorite warband, a couple friends, and Spend some Glory!
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